# Zulu Time vs UTC Orbit

The clearest difference is price: UTC Orbit at Free against Zulu Time's $0.99. UTC Orbit also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%). Zulu Time's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

UTC Orbit is free to download; Zulu Time costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UTC Orbit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zulu Time has 2.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Zulu Time's written reviews are positive against 100% of UTC Orbit's.

Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, UTC Orbit every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zulu Time | UTC Orbit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zulu-time/id377289826/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utc-orbit/id1049069115/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#62** | — |
| Size | 16 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Derek Spears](https://appshunter.io/developer/377289829) | [Dave Massey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1029584286) |

## What reviewers say

### Zulu Time

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zulu-time/id377289826)

**Currently charting:** #62 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

This app displays local and UTC (Zulu) time, along with multiple time zones, on your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. It offers widgets for quick access and features for calculating future or past times with offsets, simplifying timezone conversions for various professions.

**Highlights:** Display local and Zulu (UTC) time, Multiple time zone display, Home and Lock Screen widgets, Apple Watch complications, Future/past time offset calculations, Time zone conversion

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Zulu time on command
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 👍 Easy to read and use
- 👍 Excellent for aviation and radio operators
- 👍 Customizable and syncs correctly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Watch complication not updating consistently
- 🐛 Local time not displaying correctly on widget
- 🐛 Complication shows only hours, not full time
- 🐛 Difficulty setting with Daylight Saving Time

**Reported bugs**

- Complication freezes after a few days
- Zulu time loses accuracy over time on Apple Watch
- Widget not updating local time properly

**Requested features**

- Add alarm feature
- Allow landscape mode for bedside clock view
- Provide option for always-on display
- Add time zone map for quick reference
- Show day of year in display


### UTC Orbit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/utc-orbit/id1049069115)

This utility converts between human-readable dates and a YYDDD.FFFFFF format essential for spacecraft orbital element calculations. It also features a UTC alarm clock based on the day of the year and a large digit UTC display.

**Highlights:** UTC time conversion, YYDDD.FFFFFF format display, UTC alarm clock, Day of Year alarm setting, Large digit UTC clock display, Background alarm notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zulu Time free?

Zulu Time costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UTC Orbit free?

UTC Orbit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zulu Time or UTC Orbit?

UTC Orbit is rated higher. Zulu Time averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while UTC Orbit averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Zulu Time or UTC Orbit have ads?

Neither Zulu Time nor UTC Orbit shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zulu Time or UTC Orbit?

Zulu Time ships an update every 3 months, and UTC Orbit every 8 months. Most recently, Zulu Time was updated on November 1, 2026 and UTC Orbit on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*